Demonstrating, Evaluating, and Extending Diversified Direct-Seeded Cropping Systems for Grower Risk-Management in the Inland Northwest

Demonstrating, Evaluating, and Extending Diversified Direct-Seeded Cropping Systems for Grower Risk-Management in the Inland Northwest

Summary

• The Wilke Project, the Northwest Crops Project, and the Spokane County Direct Seeding Project are related direct seeding (no-till) projects across eastern Washington that are all grower-driven and include field scale trials on cooperators’ farms. This grant supports research for the Northwest Crops Project and the Spokane County Direct Seeding Project, and extension of all three projects.

  Collective goals of the three projects:
  Enable growers to transition to direct seeding in order to:
  Reduce soil erosion by wind and water,
  Improve soil, air, and water quality across the region,
  Improve farm economics.

Objectives/Performance Targets

1. Demonstrate the Agronomic Feasibility of Direct Seeded, Annual-Cropping Systems in the Intermediate and a High Precipitation Region of the Inland Northwest by completing the current 3- and 4-year direct seed crop rotations, initiating a second cycle for each rotation for the Wilke and Northwest Crops Projects, and by initiating on-farm testing projects within direct seed crop rotations for the Spokane County group.

   Document the Economic and Agronomic Parameters that Farmers Need for Decision-Making in Transition to the New Systems by collecting and collating essential economic and agronomic data from the demonstration sites. The combined projects will continue to identify the risks that growers must take, and will focus on parameters that farmers prioritize in deciding whether and how to adopt direct seeding.

   Extend the Concepts and Principles of Direct Seeding Systems Through Farmer to Farmer Learning by disseminating farm demonstration project results. There will also be back-up and scientific explanations from researchers, Extension, Conservation Districts, and private industry. Tours will be the mainstay, supported with winter meetings and written materials.

Accomplishments/Milestones

Specific Results

Demonstrate the Agronomic Feasibility of Direct Seeded, Annual-Cropping Systems in the Intermediate and a High Precipitation Region of the Inland Northwest by completing the current 3- and 4-year direct seed crop rotations, initiating a second cycle for each rotation for the Wilke and Northwest Crops Projects, and by initiating on-farm testing projects within direct seed crop rotations for the Spokane County group.

The Wilke Project does not receive research funds from USDA-SARE, but it is part of the overall direct seeding effort of the Ag Horizons team of WSU Cooperative Extension. In 2002, we continued with the 3- and 4-year rotations on the Wilke Farm and seeking input from growers to help determine the direction to take with the project.

With the Spokane Direct Seeding Project, in 2002 we repeated 6 field trials to answer direct seeding questions that the cooperators identified. Each trial was a randomized complete blocks design with large plots (at least 30 feet by 350 to 1000 feet long) so the growers used their own equipment for all field operations. The project leader and technician coordinated plot design and layout, collected data, assisted with harvest and analyzed the data. The Spokane County Conservation District also paid the cooperating growers a fixed payment for their time and costs associated with the trials. The growers will repeat these trials in the 2003 season. For details see the attached report.

Glenn and Bryan Dobbins – Four Lakes – BiocatÔ residue digester on grain stubble
Goal – test efficacy of fall application of Biocat residue digester on fall and spring seeded cereals. Biocat is essentially a nutrient solution (contains no microbes) that enhances the activity of naturally occurring microbes that break down crop residue.

2002 data for 4-Trt Site – 377S hard white spring wheat on 1 ton Baronesse spring barley residue treated with Biocat (35 oz/Acre) in the fall. Trial seeded with a Concord air drill with Anderson openers on 4 inch paired row on 10 inch spacing. There were 4 treatments: Biocat with and without disking, and no Biocat with and without disking. There were no differences between treatments for stand count, weed count, and yield. The disked plots had less residue in the spring and a lower test weight than those without disking.

2002 data for 2-trt Site – Stratus feed barley on 50 bu Eltan/Madsen winter wheat residue treated with Biocat (35 oz/Acre) in the fall prior to seeding. Trial seeded with a Concord air drill with Anderson openers on 4 inch paired row on 10 inch spacing. Disking was not a treatment in this trial. There were no differences in residue, yield, stand count, weed count, or test weight between plots with or without Biocat.

Randy and Jeff Emtman – Rockford – Fertility trial on direct seeding oats into bluegrass
Goal – to determine fall fertilizer regime to get adequate test weight in the oats
2002 Data for Waldern oats. Nitrogen fertilizer applied in the fall as dry 29.5-5-0-3.5. Trial seeded into Goldrush bluegrass sod using a Flexicoil 6000 with the Barton opener. There was no difference between treatments for stand count, yield, or test weight. There was variation in weed count, but the coefficient of variation was very high. It is possible the lack of starter fertilizer is jeopardizing the experiment and we plan to rectify this in 2003

Paul and Jake Gross – Deep Creek – Rotary subsoiler with direct seeding
Goal – to determine whether fall rotary subsoiling improves water infiltration and yield in direct seeded winter wheat.
2002 data for Quantum 7817 hybrid soft white winter wheat on chem fallow using a Conserva-Pak drill. Rotary subsoiler treatment in fall 2001.There was no difference in stand count between the two treatments, but the subsoiler treatment yielded less than the untreated plots. This is mostly inexplicable, though these plots also stayed green longer.

David Ostheller – Fairfield – Fall residue management for spring seeding
Goal – test 4 fall wheat residue treatments for effect on spring stand establishment and crop yield.
2002 data for Zak spring wheat. Trial seeded with a Great Plains 3010 double disk drill (8” spacing) into 88 bu winter wheat (Rod/Madsen) stubble. Stand establishment, weed count, yield, and test weight were the same for all treatments. We will analyze the cost of the treatments to see if they are significantly different.

Larry Tee – Latah – Residue management for wheat
Goal – to determine whether reducing stubble height to less than drill row width improves plant stand (and yield) of direct seeded wheat.
2002 Data for Zak spring wheat. Seeded with a chisel drill – paired 4-inch rows on 7 inch center spacing – into 86 bu Madsen winter wheat stubble. Short treatment stubble cut with combine after harvest. Plant stand, weed count, and yield were the same for both treatments.

The Northwest Crops Project has goals of reducing erosion from wind and rain and reducing field burning of crop residue, while trying to provide economic stability for growers in direct-seed systems. The project began in 1998, so in 2002 we completed the fifth year of comparing 3-year and 4-year crop rotations under direct-seeding in the intermediate rainfall zone (15-18 inch annual precipitation) of Garfield and Whitman Counties.

There are seven farms involved in this project, each with Athena silt loam soil. All cooperators have 3-year and 4- year rotations for side by side comparisons. The plots are 500 to 700 feet long, and 30 to 60 feet wide, to accommodate the growers’ existing farm equipment for spraying, seeding and harvesting.

The 4-year rotation includes spring wheat, winter wheat, warm season grass (corn), broadleaf crop (cooperator’s choice). The 3-year rotation includes winter wheat, spring barley, broadleaf crop or chemical fallow (cooperator’s choice). Year 1, however, was a year of preparation. Because growers established the plots in the spring, they substituted spring wheat for winter wheat that season.

At the beginning of the project, soil scientists from WSU took soil quality data to determine the following levels; pH, organic matter (OM), nutrients, earthworms, crop residue, and bulk density. These tests will be performed again in 2003 to determine overall changes in soil health and quality over the five years of testing.

The first cycle has shown us that we can rotate different crops with winter wheat in our rotations in the Palouse Region. Most of the cooperators are successfully growing corn, and their friends and neighbors are also trying it, in 2002 producing 315 acres of corn in the area. After five years of corn in rotation, the five year average corn yield is 2693 lb/A, compared with a five year average barley yield of 2586lb/A. At some sites, we are seeing an increase in winter wheat yield in the 4 year rotation of 10-12 bushels per acre where corn is being grown. In 2002, frost damage in June and August was the limiting yield factor for corn. We are still learning how to raise corn, and are having some failures along with the successful attempts. Weed and fertility management are the primary issues for which we need to develop answers. We are also trying a variety of broadleaf crops, including peas, mustard, and garbanzo beans (chickpeas), each with its own set of challenges for first time growers. In the next cycle of the rotations, we intend to learn how to deal with more of these problems and improve our success with rotational crops.

This project has shown that we can seed crops into heavy residue (greater than 10,000 lbs/A) with proper equipment and crop rotation. However, we still have much to learn. We found, especially in the 2001 drought, and again in 2002, that ground with residue cover held soil moisture much better than conventionally worked fields. There has been no burning on any of the plots, we have seen very little to no soil erosion, and water infiltration is starting to improve.

We took soil tests in the plots in the spring to document water levels and nutrient needs of the crops. We took plant stand counts about one month after seeding as stand establishment is a measure of successful seeding technique and would highlight any potential problems with the farmer’s drill. We also took weed counts on the plots to study any changes in weed species that might happen with the change to direct seeding. We collected yield data and test weight on the plots during harvest.

Document the Economic and Agronomic Parameters that Farmers Need for Decision-Making in Transition to the New Systems by collecting and collating essential economic and agronomic data from the demonstration sites. The combined projects will continue to identify the risks that growers must take, and will focus on parameters that farmers prioritize in deciding whether and how to adopt direct seeding.

In the Spokane County Project, the cooperators identified the primary questions they wanted answered to facilitate their transition to direct seeding. The majority of their trials focus on residue management, which is a real issue in the high rainfall areas where crop yields are often 80 to 100 bu/acre. Water conservation increases in importance in the drier regions west of Spokane, and rotary subsoiling is a low disturbance treatment that has potential to increase water infiltration into the soil in some years.

We took soil tests in the plots in the spring to document water levels and nutrient needs of the crops. We took plant stand counts about one month after seeding as stand establishment is a measure of successful seeding technique and would highlight any potential problems with the farmer’s drill. We collected yield data and test weight on the plots. We collected residue data on the Biocat trial only. In 2002 we also collected weed data to document any association between weeds and soil disturbance. We will report economic data as part of our conclusions about the management systems we are studying.

Dissemination of Findings
Extend the Concepts and Principles of Direct Seeding Systems Through Farmer to Farmer Learning by disseminating farm demonstration project results. There will also be back-up and scientific explanations from researchers, Extension, Conservation Districts, and private industry. Tours will be the mainstay, supported with winter meetings and written materials.
Following is a list of tours and workshops at which we discussed the aspects of the overall project. Numbers in parentheses indicate grower attendance.

Workshops
January 16-18, 2002. Direct Seed Conference, Spokane, WA. 4’x 8′ project poster on display. (820 people)

January 29, 2002. Direct Seeding 101 Workshop, Davenport. Wilke project results. (50)

January 29, 2002. Palouse Rock Lake Conservation District annual meeting, Endicott, WA. Power point presentation on NW Crops Project and project poster on display. (85 people).

January 31, 2002. Oodles of Opportunity Workshop, Fairfield, WA. Presentation on the Spokane County project with project poster on display. (37 people). Certified Crop Adviser credits available under Crop Management.

February 5, 2002. NW Crops Workshop, Colfax, WA. Overview of NW Crops and Spokane DS Projects with project poster and a presentation from grower Steve Swannack. (13 people).

February 8, 2002. Wilbur Ellis grower workshop, Post Falls. Presentation on Spokane County Project. (75 growers).

February 12, 2002. NW Crops Workshop, Colfax,WA. Soil Quality presentations with project poster on display and grower John Aeschliman assisting. (21 people). Certified Crop Adviser credits available under Soil and Water Management.

February 12, 2002. Wilbur Ellis grower workshop, Worley. Presentation on Spokane County Project. (78 growers).

February 19, 2002. NW Crops Workshop, Colfax, WA. Rotation crops for Biofuel presentation along with project poster and grower presentation from Mike Stubbs. (28 people). Certified Crop Adviser credits available under Crop Management.

February 20, 2002. Palouse Conservation District annual meeting, Colton, WA. Power point presentation on NW Crops Project with project poster on display. (63 people).

February 26, 2002. NW Crops Workshop, Colfax, WA. Corn in rotation discussion with project poster on display with 2 guest speakers. (12 people). Certified Crop Adviser credits available under Crop Management.

February 26, 2002. Pine Creek Conservation District workshop. Presentation on Spokane County Project. (53 growers).

March 4, 2002, Oilseed Research Review Forum, Moscow, ID. Displayed project poster. (68 people).

March 5, 2002, Pioneer Hybrid Corn, Colfax, WA. Two Pioneer representatives held presentation/discussion on corn varieties, fertilizer, and marketing. (15growers).

March 13, 2002. Inland Agronomy grower workshop, Deer Park. Presentation on Spokane County Project. (80 growers).

March 14, 2002, NW Crops Project, Colfax, WA. Workshop/proposals and ideas for 2002 crop year. (11).

April 24-28, 2002, St.John Fair, St.John, WA. Project poster on display along with direct seed material for handouts for the 4 day annual event.

July 16-19, 2002, Soil and Water Conservation Society, Indianapolis, IND. Project poster on display during this annual meeting. (600 people).

October 8, 2002. Lincoln County Grower Discussion Group, Davenport. Chem fallow and herbicide resistance. (15)

October 28, 2002, Seminar Crop and Soils Dept, Washington State University, Pullman, WA. Overview presentation of the Spokane DS Project (35 people).

November 20, 2002, NW Crops Project, Colfax, WA. Presentations and discussion on 2002 results and findings of the project with (9) present.

December 6, 2002, Spokane DS Project, Spokane, WA. Presentations and discussion on 2002 results and findings of the project with (9) present.

Tours

June 4, 2002. Lincoln County Grower Discussion Group tour – direct seeding into chem. fallow fields. (8)

June 5, 2002. NW Crops Project Twilight Tour, toured 2 project growers’ plots (11).

June 11, 2002. NW Crops Project Twilight Tour, toured 2 project growers’ plots (10).

June 25, 2002. Spokane DS Project Tour, toured all of the project growers’ plots (30).

June 26, 2002. Wilke Field Day. Tour of the Wilke Farm Direct Seeding Project at Davenport. (45).

August 15, 2002. Corn Tour (5). Toured 3 of the sites growing corn to check field conditions, bugs and frost damage.

October 25, 2002. Tour of a grower at Prescott, WA. who has successfully adapted to direct seeding on his farm (5).

October 29, 2002. Lincoln County Grower Discussion Group tour – direct seeding into chem. fallow fields. (15)

Written articles
2001

Aaron Esser: On-farm testing – A do-it-yourself guide. Ag Horizons newsletter, March 2001. (1200)

Dennis Roe: Potential benefits of corn in rotation. Ag Horizons newsletter, March 2001. (1200)

Diana Roberts: USDA-SARE grant tot fund Spokane and Whitman County direct seeding projects. Ag Horizons newsletter, May 2001. (1200)
2002

Aaron Esser & Dennis Tonks: Direct seeding issues in Lethbridge, AB, Canada. Ag Horizons newsletter, February 2002. (150)

Tanya Wojtowych: The Pacific Northwest Direct Seeding Association. Ag Horizons newsletter, May 2002. (150)

Diana Roberts: First year results from the Spokane County Direct Seeding Project. Ag Horizons newsletter, May 2002. (150)

Diana Roberts: Direct seeding tips from an Aussie farmer. Ag Horizons newsletter, July 2002. (150)

Diana Roberts: Direct seeding tips from an Aussie farmer. October Wheat Life (publication of Washington Association of Wheat Growers. (14,000).

Aaron Esser: Triallate application in direct seeded spring barley for wild oat control in northern Lincoln County. Ag Horizons newsletter, July 2002. (150)

Dennis Tonks, Darla Rugel, & Diana Roberts: The Wilke Direct Seeding Project. Ag Horizons newsletter, October 2002. (150)

Work left to do:

The project is on schedule with field trials and we will continue them as planned in 2003. We have exceeded the commitment for workshops and tours, and will plan more for 2003. We are in the process of compiling and analyzing agronomic and economic data. We will plan and write the required bulletins and publications for the conclusion of the project.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

• Potential Benefits or Impacts on Agriculture

  The overall project has tremendous potential in assisting farmers across the intermediate and high rainfall areas of eastern Washington make effective transitions to direct seeding. Scientific literature shows that direct seeding reduces soil erosion by wind and water, leading to improved air and water quality. The greatest challenge for the Project is to demonstrate that transitioning to direct seeding is cost effective for the producers. Otherwise they will not adopt the practice.

  Farmer Adoption and Direct Impact
  We will report on this at the end of the Project

  Reactions from Farmers and Ranchers
  Spokane Project Cooperators brainstorming on benefits of the project:

  We’re reducing the risk of new practices.
  The on-farm tests are smaller than a field and bigger than a traditional plot.
  We get an objective view (of the results).
  Statistics have “proven” results – more accurate.
  The financial aspect is important (as farmers are taught to be maximum producers)
  The discussion on cooperation is good.
  We’re learning the scientific method by being involved in it.
  Some practices we’re not trying Because we have it in our minds it won’t work.
  If what we do works in a bad year, what is the potential for a good year?
  The yield monitor (on a combine) doesn’t correlate with the eye’s perspective.

  Producer Involvement (see list of cooperators)

  Wilke Project – 5 farmers involved as cooperators, others as advisors.

  Spokane Project – 5 farms (8 individuals) involved as cooperators

  Northwest Crops Project –7 farms (12 individuals) involved as cooperators.

  All the cooperating farmers were involved in developing the goals and design of each project. NW Crop Project cooperators opted for a 3- and a 4-year rotation at each site. They choose their specific crops (within the designated crop type) each season. Spokane Project cooperators identified a direct seeding question they wanted answered and worked with the project leader to design trials to answer those questions. Wilke Project cooperators opted for a 3- or a 4-year crop rotation and choose their specific crops (within the designated crop type) each season.

  Producer attendance Aug 2000 – Dec 2001
  Workshops (not including numbers from poster display only) – 689 growers
  Field Days – 129 growers

Collaborators: